Laser diode based systems can provide reliable optical radiation for a variety of materials processing applications. In contrast to other laser technologies, laser diodes are compact, relatively inexpensive, and do not require high voltages or other difficult electrical pump systems. In addition, the output power provided can be scaled by adding additional laser diodes, so that a desired power level can be relatively easily selected. Conventional high power laser diode systems use a remote power supply that is coupled to the laser diodes via a long cable. While the remote power supply can be large and difficult to move, it can be positioned as needed using sufficiently long electrical cables. Thus, a laser diode based optical head can remain compact and portable, even if a large or cumbersome power supply is needed.
Unfortunately, conventional designs as described above exhibit some significant drawbacks. In many applications, pulsed laser diode outputs are required and long cables connecting a power supply to the laser diodes make modulation of laser diode output difficult or impossible. Referring to FIG. 1, in a conventional laser diode system 100, a remote power supply 102 is coupled via a cable 104 to a laser diode module 106. As shown in FIG. 1, the cable has associated inductances 108, 109 that prevent the power supply 102 from providing rapid drive current modulations to the laser diode module 106. Laser diode modulations at rates greater than as low as about 10 kHz or with rise/fall times of about 50 μs can be difficult or impossible. In addition, precise control of laser diode operating currents can be difficult to establish. This lack of precise control can cause excess voltages/currents to be applied to laser diodes so that laser diodes and any associated control circuitry can be exposed to excess drive levels, leading to component failure. In high throughput materials processing applications, such failures can seriously reduce manufacturing rates and increase manufacturing costs.